Bruins: Academic champs

Tuesday

Well-rounded, thy name is the Bartlesville High School boys swimming team.

On the athletic side, these tadpole Bruins — only two seniors on their 15-man roster — power to third place in last weekend’s Class 6A state meet.

On the academic side — STATE CHAMPIONS.

The Bruins learned after the Class 6A championships they had earned the Class 6A Boys Swimming State Academic crown.

The award was mistakenly given during the meet to Edmond Memorial. But, a revisit to the numbers showed that Bartlesville actually deserved the honor, Bruin head coach Chad Englehart said during a phone conversation this morning.

“I’m really proud,” Englehart said. “This is a group of boys that have worked really, really hard. The fact they finished in the top three in the state athletically as well as winning the academic championship says a lot about their commitment.”

The team compiled a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.8 — which included nine perfect grades (4.0) among the 15 boys.

The swimmers in the program “are pretty conscientious,” when it comes to homework, the coach added.

With graduating only two seniors (Lukas Rietfors and Markus Klawun), the Bruins look to have an opportunity to be very competitive at the top level next season.

Englehart said Bartlesville’s success next season depends on whether the boys take their “game” to the next level during the off-season.

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